World Immigration News

YEAR-ENDER - Security concerns, shifting public opinion push Europe to tighten immigration rules in 2025

Release Date: 2025-12-26
Media: Anadolu Ajansı
Summary: In 2025, immigration and asylum policies across Europe became significantly stricter, reflecting heightened security concerns and shifting public sentiment. The EU and its member states strengthened border controls, limited access to asylum procedures, and expanded return and detention measures. As a result, irregular border crossings and asylum applications declined, aided by closer cooperation with countries of origin and the introduction of new digital systems such as the Entry/Exit System (EES) and ETIAS.

A major development was the EU’s first-ever common list of “safe countries of origin,” agreed in December, which will allow faster processing of asylum claims deemed unlikely to succeed. The list includes Bangladesh, Colombia, Egypt, India, Kosovo, Morocco, and Tunisia, and will take effect in June 2026 alongside the broader Pact on Migration and Asylum. Human rights organizations, however, warned that these changes risk undermining the foundations of refugee protection.

Despite EU-level reforms, several member states opposed mandatory migrant quotas or pursued tougher national policies. Hungary rejected the migration pact outright, while Poland, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic refused both relocation quotas and financial compensation. Italy defended its controversial deal with Albania to process asylum seekers outside the EU and also tightened rules on citizenship by descent. Austria expanded internal border controls, increased deportations, and temporarily suspended family reunification. Greece introduced strict sanctions for rejected asylum seekers and temporarily halted asylum processing for arrivals from North Africa.

Ireland carried out one of the most significant reforms in its migration system, extending the waiting period for citizenship, tightening family reunification rules, and linking eligibility more closely to employment and welfare status. Germany approved new measures to facilitate “safe country” designations, strengthen border controls, and accelerate deportations. Baltic states imposed partial border closures and stricter entry rules amid security concerns linked to the Russia–Ukraine war.

The UK also shifted to a much tougher approach, introducing an “earned settlement” system that extends the path to permanent residence to up to 10 years or more, especially for those relying on public benefits or arriving irregularly. These European trends have been widely linked to the global rise of anti-migration sentiment, the influence of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s return to office, and the amplification of migration debates through social media, all of which have contributed to a broader hardening of attitudes toward migration and asylum across Europe.
Tags: Europe

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